Here you will find everything you need to learn Slovenian. As a language spoken by less than 3 million people from a country almost the size of New Jersey resources are not always easy to locate. I started learning Slovene a few years ago when I met my now-husband. Today I live in Slovenia and my language learning is continuous.
In this article, you will find information about Slovenian as a language, how to learn Slovenian online, how to find a Slovenian language course in Ljubljana and abroad, useful language learning books, Slovene YouTube channels, and some tips that really helped me with my learning process.
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission on purchases made through the links. This is at no additional cost to you and helps keep the site running.
Table of Contents
Slovenian Language Facts
-Even though it is spoken by only 2.3 million people, in Slovenia there are 46 different dialects. Some argue it is one of the most diverse Slavic languages in the world.
-Slovene is one of the oldest written Slavic languages.
-Slovenian uses duality meaning they have specific words to describe not just one person or many people but also just two people or two things.
-Slovenian language has masculine, feminine, and neutral gendered words.
-During WWII Slovenian was prohibited from being used in public spaces in Slovenia and many Slovene books were burned.
-There are no curse words (kletvice) in Slovenian. It is typical for people to curse using Croatian or Serbian words.
Slovenian curse examples:
Je bela cesta – The road is white
Tristo kosmatih medvedov – Three hundred hairy bears
Read | 11 Slovenian Words with Hilarious Translations in English
Is it Slovenian or Slovene?
I’ve already used Slovene and Slovenian above. So which is it? Either! They both mean the same thing and it is just personal preference.
Where is Slovenian spoken?
Primarily in Slovenia, a small country in central Europe surrounded by Austria, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary. It is also spoken by others in each of these countries along the borders. It is estimated that there are 2.5 million Slovenian speakers in the world.
Slovenian Alphabet
The Slovenian alphabet (slovenska abeceda) has 25 Latin letters
a, b, c, č, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, š, t, u, v, z, ž.
Check out this resource to see how each letter is pronounced or try this one to hear how each one sounds.
How to say thank you in Slovenian
Two of the most common phrases people want to know in Slovene is how to say thank you and I love you.
Thank you = Hvala (pronounce it so it rhymes with koala)
I love you = Rad te imam (Said by men) Rada te imam (said by women) this is a very familiar love like for family, friends, or things you might love, like pizza. For romantic love with your partner “Ljubim te” is used.
Hint: the J sound in Slovene is subtle and is not pronounced like in “jam” or “justice”, imagine it more like a Y like in “young”
Below I will share some of my resources like dictionaries and translators, then language schools or courses, language learning apps, and share websites and blogs that are useful for the learning process. If I personally used a resource I will provide my honest experience with it, but because resources are so limited for Slovene I wanted to share as much as possible. Just because a method did not work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else.
Dictionaries and Other Slovenian Reference Materials
PONS
I will never forget the first week of my Slovenian course when I was upset that my homework was a mess, and I asked how did anyone finish it?! I was sitting there with my English-Slovene dictionary in hand and the other students look at me like I was from another planet. They were all using a dictionary app called PONS, and wow, life-changing. This is hands down the BEST dictionary for English-Slovene and I will challenge anyone who says otherwise. I use this app religiously on my phone and computer.
*Language Learning Tip* Because this dictionary is so great you can enter a common word, for example, I searched jesti (to eat) and as you can see in the screenshot it gives me a few sentences with it in use. Because Slovenian can be so difficult with all of the cases (skloni) I found this to be a great way to find phrases and then save them on flashcards or in my notebook.
Library
This suggestion might only work if you are in Slovenia, but I will suggest just trying your local library or university library wherever you are. Some times they are part of a larger network that can get books from other locations. Slovenian language books are really quite expensive. I recently joined my local library and they have a whole section for learning Slovenian and the librarians are more than happy to help.
Read | 20 Beautiful Day Trips from Ljubljana
Besana
Besana was a very valuable resource when I began learning Slovenian. Once on the site, you can enter a word, like the example given “hiša” (house), when you click “Pregibaj” the results will show you all of the forms of hiša for each case (sklon) for singular, dual, and plural.
eBralec
eBralec’s site uses computer voices for pronunciation. It isn’t nearly as great as hearing humans speaking but if you have no way to hear the words, this is helpful when just starting off.